Vinegar is one of the simplest and cheapest yet one of the most powerful all-natural and non-toxic cleaners which can rival the most expensive chemical cleaning products. It can’t exactly replace all cleaning products and can’t exactly be used to clean everything but it is extremely effective against some of the worst cleaning nightmares.
Here are the top 5 tested and proven vinegar household uses:
1. Descale just about anything
No matter if it’s a kettle, shower door, tap,… vinegar can deal even with the most stubborn limescale deposits, including those that accumulated over a longer period of time. To clean the most problematic areas, use a bottle spray and leave vinegar sit for an hour before wiping it off. Alternatively, cover with cloth soaked in vinegar (for example a tap).
2. Disinfect
If you’re worried about germs, vinegar will soon become your best friend. It has scientifically been proven to kill bacteria and viruses including the flu virus. In addition to eliminating germs on kitchen surfaces and bathroom/toilet, vinegar can thus be also used as a preventive measure against flu (e.g. to disinfect door handles, remote control, computer keyboard and other surfaces that are most likely to be contaminated).
3. Eliminate odours
As hard to believe as it may sound, it is actually true. Unfortunately, many people find the smell of vinegar highly unpleasant, so it’s not a good idea to spray the sofa, carpet, mattress, curtain or other smelly surfaces if you are expecting to receive guests in a couple of hours or earlier. But don’t worry, once the vinegar smell dissipates, your home will smell much nicer.
4. Replace a fabric softener
Many fabric softeners – including those created especially for people with sensitive skin – can still be irritating for some people. The alternative? Yes, vinegar. And no, your clothes will not smell after vinegar, if you are perhaps wondering. At the same time, it will help sanitise your washing machine and minimise limescale buildup.
5. Clear slow moving drains
To make it work, however, vinegar should be used in combination with baking soda and very hot water. To clear the drain, pour in one cup of baking soda and then one cup of vinegar. This will create a chemical reaction which will dissolve remnants of soap, hair, food and other “cloggers”. Wait for about 15 to 30 minutes – depending how bad the drain is clogged – and then pour in very hot water.
Please note that all the above mentioned vinegar uses involve the use of white (distilled) vinegar.
